Catalan exports overcome the covid crisis
Foreign sales in the first eight months of the year are already 6.6% higher than in the same period of 2019
BarcelonaCatalan exports have overcome the effects of the covid crisis and are already above pre-pandemic levels. According to data published on Tuesday by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, from January to August Catalonia has sold over €52bn worth of products and services, 6.6% more than during the same period of 2019, before the pandemic. Compared to a year ago, the growth is much more spectacular (25.7%), but at that time Catalonia still suffered many restrictions due to the effects of the coronavirus.
In these first eight months of the year, Catalonia has a double leadership. On the one hand, it is the region in Spain which exports the most, with over a quarter of total exports (25.9%) and, at the same time, it is the one that contributes the most to the growth of sales in the State, contributing 6.5 points out of a total of 22.1. However, in this last point Madrid is ahead of Catalonia only in the month of August.
As for Catalan exports in the eighth month of the year, they exceeded €5.5bn and were above August 2020 and August 2019.
The chemical sector, again at the forefront
By economic sectors, the chemical sector continues to be the leader in Catalonia, with exports worth over €1.5bn in August. In fact, this sector concentrated more than a quarter of foreign sales made by Catalan firms (28%). It was followed by food, with over €1.1bn, and the capital goods industry, with €918m in sales. As for the year so far, the chemical sector also leads the way, followed by capital goods and foodstuffs.
As for imports, the data for the first eight months (over €57.2bn) is still below pre-pandemic levels (over €62bn euros), but compared to a year ago are up 18.4%. If you only look at the data for August (over €6.6bn), however, they are similar to those of the same month of 2019 and higher than last year by 30.5%.
In Spain as a whole, exports from January to August stood at over €201bn – a figure that represents a year-on-year growth of 22.1% – and imports, at over than €212bn (21.6%).